Filipino Americans have long, rich history in New Orleans and Louisiana. The Filipino presence in Louisiana can be traced to the 18th Century.

That culture will be honored locally with a New Orleans nod to Filipino American History Month when the New Orleans area offers several different events Oct. 8-9.

On Oct. 8, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., a symposium/exhibits will be held at Xavier University, followed by an evening gala, 6:30 p.m., at the Airport Hilton in Kenner. On Oct. 9, a gathering will be held at Jean Lafitte Town Hall on the West Bank, followed by a Filipino Historical Marker Trip.

"The (symposium and other events) aim to explore the history of the Filipino migration to the USA and discuss policies that can support the longstanding relationship between the two nations," said Robert Romero, Honorary Consul General of the Philippines in Louisiana.

It's an interesting layer of that melded Crescent City culture. One of the earliest Filipino communities were St. Malo Village (the oldest) and Manila Village (the largest), Romero said.

St. Malo, 1763-1915, was a small fishing village in Southeast Louisiana on the shore of Lake Borgne, now the St. Bernard Parish. It was established by deserters from Spanish Gallon trade. Some of the St. Malo's fishermen were witnesses to the British invasion of Louisiana in late 1814, and may have signed up with the privateer, Jean Lafitte, to join the army of Major General Andrew Jackson in defending New Orleans.

Whenever possible, if there were still ways to re-connecting with families in the Philippines, the Manilamen sent money to families in Manila with the profits they made from fishing, historians say.

The Manila Village was founded in the mid-19th century and was destroyed by Hurricane Betsy in 1965. It was a settlement of Filipino sailors, fishermen and laborers on an island of Barataria Bay in Jefferson Parish.

As of 2016, only a small remnant of Manila Village, about one acre in size, remains. In 2012, a historical marker, in honor of the early Filipino settlers, was erected in front of the Village Hall of Jean Lafitte.

It is the first officially sanctioned Filipino monument in the nation. The Philippine-Louisiana Historical Society has served as the legal entity and was instrumental in setting up the marker.

The Filipino settlers caught and dried shrimps for export to Asia, Canada and South America via New Orleans. They pioneered the dried shrimp industry, and were credited with developing the first major harvesting and processing business, the predecessors of modern shrimping industry.

After journalist Lafcadio Hearns first wrote about this culture when he published the article "Saing Malo: A Lacustrine Village in Louisiana" in Harper's Journal, March 31, 1883. Experts pinpoint this story for exposing their marshland existence was to the American people at large.

The Filipino immigrants, in all professions and in all walks of life continued to come to New Orleans and Louisiana, as well as the United States. Many nurses and teachers were recruited from the Philippines to New Orleans and Louisiana to fill the void caused by the Hurricane Katrina, Romero said.

"Louisiana has a diverse Filipino community that includes eight-generation Filipino Americans and recent immigrants," Romero said.

Romero is also the founder/president of the Philippine-Louisiana Historical Society. He has served as the president of the Philippine-American Lions Club and is now the District Governor, 8-S.

The symposium will help celebrate some of that history and features introductory remarks by Dr. Jose Bautista, J.P. Morgan Chase professor of economics; welcome notes from Dr. Anne McCall, provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs; an invocation by the Rev. Etido Jerome, Xavier University chaplain. The United States national anthem will be sung by Christina Hera; and the national anthem of the Philippines will be presented by Natasha Cang Moreland.Romero will give the welcome message and introduce the special guests. The special guests include Generoso D. G. Calonge, Consul General of the Philippines in Chicago; and Gina Jamoralin, Consul General of the Philippines in Honolulu. Dr. Carmelo Astilla, reitred professor of Southern University, will introduce the Philippine-Louisiana Historical Society.

Dr. Randy Gonzales, assistant professor at University of Louisiana at Lafayette, will give an overview of Filipino Migration to Louisiana.

The featured speaker is Dr. Sharon Delmendo, St. John Fisher College, Rochester, New York, who will deliver a speech entitled "The U.S. Impact on the Manilaner Refuge." She is the author of: "The Star-Entangled Banner: One Hundred Years of America in the Philippines."

The highlighted event is the unveiling and presentation of the Philippine-Louisiana Historical Mural by Dr. Almira Astudillo Gilles. The mural honors early Filipino settlers, who throughout the 18th and the 19th centuries, resided in fishing villages along the Louisiana coast. The mural was painted in the Philippines by five Filipino artists and donated to the Philippine-Louisiana History Society.

Three roundtables discussions will be held at the symposium. The first one, "Descendants of Early Filipino Settlers," will be moderated by Dr. Alvaro Alcazar, Loyola University, New Orleans. The participants will include Timothy Kerner, Mayor of City of Jean Lafitte; Rhonda Richoux, Todd Roxas, and William De La Cruz.

The second one, "Filipino Diaspora," will be moderated by Dr. Jose Bautista. The presenters will include Dr. Aurelio Agcaoili, an Ilokano scholar and novelist; Gina Jamoralin, on "Filipinos in Hawaii"; and Dr. Sharon Delmendo on "Balikbayan Bell."

The third one, "Filipino Communities in Louisiana", will be moderated by Randy Gonzales. The participants will be Christine Changho Bruneau, president of the Louisiana Asian Pacific American Bar Association; and Southwest Regional Governor of the National Filipino American Lawyers Association; and Eva Dolorosa V. Adolpho, president, Filipino Educators Federation of Louisiana.

It's a loaded lineup of information and celebration of the Filipino American community. The celebrations will be sponsored by the Honorary Consulate General of Louisiana, co-sponsored by the Consulate General of the Philippines in Chicago and in Honolulu, respectively, as well as Louisiana-based Filipino American organizations, including the Philippine-Louisiana Historical Society.

The Honorary Consulate General of the Philippines in Louisiana, 6660 Riverside Drive, Metairie, provides consular services which include passport, visa, notaries, dual citizenship and other services. For information, write to philhoncon.la@gmail.com.

The Filipino American History Month Symposium is free and open to the public. For further information, write to oremorintl@gmail.com or go to Filipinola.com.